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Roseburg High School senior Alexandra Malone wants to be an aerospace engineer and build rockets.

Her hopes got quite a blastoff Thursday evening at the Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting and First Citizens Banquet. The 17-year-old was named the 2012 Future First Citizen.

“I am shocked,” she said shortly after the announcement. “I’m very humbled and honored that I was chosen.”

The finalists for the award were Malone and fellow RHS seniors Kelsey Fieldman, Stefenie Griggs, Victoria Prawitz and Andrew Stone. Malone earned a $10,000 scholarship and the other four received $2,000 scholarships.

“Each of the candidates do so much in school and in the community,” Malone said. “I’m honored to represent all of them. I definitely do feel some pressure, but I volunteer in leadership positions because I like to. I like being busy.”

Ray Davis, CEO of Umpqua Bank, one of the sponsors of the Future First Citizen award, said, “Recognizing the excellence in our students is a celebration of and an investment in the future.”

Malone is the current Roseburg High student body president. Her other activities include National Honor Society, Oregon Girls State, Link Crew, RHS Drama Club and athletics.

Her volunteer work in the community has been with groups and projects including the Douglas County Filipino-American Association, Camp Millennium, Mercy Foundation and Family Building Blocks. She was named the Distinguished Young Woman for Douglas County and for Oregon in 2012 and will help organize programs for both the local and state levels, sharing the message of “Be Your Best Self.”

“She is bright, confident, an excellent listener, and quick to understand the need at hand and to look for solutions,” wrote RHS Principal Karen Goirigolzarri in a letter of recommendation for Malone. “As I watch her lead, follow, and commit to so much on this campus, I see a young lady with a tremendously bright future ahead of her.”

Malone said she has been fascinated with space since she was a small child. She enjoys gazing at and studying the night sky through a telescope.

Her first choice of a university after high school graduation is Stanford, but she plans to apply to about five colleges.

“I want to reach my full potential and blossom into someone who can make a contribution to society,” she wrote in her Future First Citizen application.

• News-Review reporter Craig Reed can be reached by calling 541-957-4210 or by email at creed@nrtoday.com.